Clinical Social Worker - Medical Specialty Suites, Westwood

In this role you will, function as a team member of the Westwood Medical Specialty Suite that provides comprehensive psychosocial care to patients with complex medical conditions and frequent hospitalizations. In this role you will:

• Provide case-management, assess psychosocial needs, and provide individual, group and family counseling.
• Identify patients, respond to referrals and meet the wide range of needs of outpatients.
• Provide referrals for economic, psychological, social, hospice and home health care as needed.
• Chart all contacts in an electronic medical record.
• Update and screen the practice's resource referral network and website, select appropriate information, websites and resources to be made accessible to patients.
• Attend medical clinics, identify patients and respond to comprehensive psychosocial needs.
• Participate in program development as required.
• Participate in training of interns and volunteers.
• Provide on-call service.
• Administer and utilize the screening tools to develop appropriate interventions.
• Work in a complex medical system and assist patients in navigating that system.
• Provide other related services that improve the quality of life of the patient and family touched by complex medical conditions.
• Develop a thorough familiarity with the health system and community resources in order to help patients locate what they need.
• Participate in program evaluation and in determining the need for new services.
• Work with other health professionals to promote quality of life of patients.
• Conduct therapeutic support groups.
• Provide coverage services for urgent concerns when Westwood-based Extensivist Social Worker and Westwood Geriatrics Home Visit Program Social Worker is out of the office.

Required

* Master's degree in social work and licensed in California

* Knowledge of psychosocial and other rehabilitation related problems that arise in individuals with complex conditions at all phases of their disease and treatment

* Knowledge of psychosocial distress screening instruments. Ability to formulate assessments of psychosocial needs of individuals with complex conditions and frequent hospitalizations. Ability to put these skills to use

* Skills and knowledge to deliver psychosocial interventions in a medical setting

* Skills required to facilitate individual, group and family therapy interventions

* Skill in using computer database software to maintain and update resource referral network, all patient tracking, rehabilitation needs using software such as an Electronic Medical Record such as CareConnect with appropriate class work

* Ability to identify referral sources and to provide referrals for economic, psychosocial and home health care programs

* Knowledge and ability to function as a team member, working with other staff social workers and clinicians to develop patient groups, lectures and other programs

* Skill in completing and entering patient notes, tracking forms and consultation notes at appropriate intervals into database

* Ability to understand the mission of the Extensivist Program and to implement its objectives for the delivery of patient care

* Ability to function as a team member

* Ability to adapt to changing priorities including seeing patients at multiple sites, under various conditions, without a specific office

* Ability to synthesize ideas to solve problems

* Interpersonal skills to interact effectively with patients and medical staff including physicians and nurses to function as a team member

* Ability to convey warmth and caring in interpersonal interactions with patients and other members of the team

* Knowledge of IBM-compatible computers -facility with Windows and the Internet

* Demonstrated ability in searching the Internet and in determining appropriateness of medical information found on the Internet for patient use

* Ability to provide clinical knowledge to less experienced clinicians including developing didactic trainings, evaluating students, field instructor accreditation

Preferred

* Experience and knowledge working with medical patients in outpatient and/or inpatient medical environments

* Experience working as a liaison with inpatient/outpatient units and community agencies

* Knowledge of bereavement process.

* Knowledge, skill and ability to work autonomously using specific software programs such as Word, Excel, Outlook and any other programs for EMR

• Familiarity with CareConnect or other EPIC-based electronic medical record software